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A La Carte (10/18)

A La Carte Collection cover image

It is always good to be away at a conference. But, of course, it’s always just a little bit better to be home. And I’m home again now and for the next few weeks (except for a brief day-long trip to Grand Rapids this weekend).

Getty Blog – I’m not sure how I missed that Keith Getty has a blog (he mentioned it this weekend when I was chatting with him). He’s got a few good articles there–one on collaboration and another on the excellent hymn “By Faith” both caught my attention.

Why Are Pastors Fat? – Erik touches on a touchy subject. “I have been in full time ministry for 5+ years now. Prior to this I have been heavily involved in local church ministry since my conversion over 10 years ago. One thing that has always intrigued me is overweight pastors. If you want to get a gage on how prevalent this is, you just have to visit a pastors’ conference. I am not saying that everyone is rockin’ the elastic waist pants, but, there are a lot of guys that, well, are fat.”

The New Calvins – Have you read this bizarre article from The Economist? What a mess.

The Case for Alcohol Abstinence – Daniel Akin has posted an article defending his view that we should abstain from alcohol. I don’t know that I’ve ever said much about my views on alcohol on this blog (in short, alcohol makes me sick so I don’t drink it, but I’m not at all opposed to others drinking it with moderation), but I post this as a kind of FYI, even though I disagree with it. I think it’s helpful to see the argument laid out like this.

An Egalitarian Gets Biblical – Here’s a forthcoming book that may just be interesting. Maybe.

Hakeleje – A song for a Monday morning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBGRiVYkhmk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999

The first sexual thought in the universe was God’s, not man’s.

—Doug Barnett

  • Water Glass

    The Deepest Thirst of All

    The God who created us formed us in such a way that we are not meant to exist apart from him. To live apart from God is the spiritual equivalent of trying to live without food and water. It will lead only to weakness, pain, and death.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (February 28)

    A La Carte: How marriage actually refers to Christ and the church / Does it matter if stories are true? / To cover or overlook? / Should Christians feel guilty for being patriotic / Sinful desires / and more.

  • New and Notable Christian Books for February 2026

    New and Notable Christian Books for February 2026

    Not a single month goes by without Christian publishers providing us with great new resources. Thankfully, most of those new books end up in my mailbox. That allows me to sort through them and distil them down to a list like this one: A list of new and notables.

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (February 27)

    A La Carte: Time / More than a book / If you knew him, you would ask / The multitasking myth / Beware AI-generated Christian content / It’s sad that you believe that / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (February 26)

    A La Carte: Death with dignity / On “balance” and young men / No need to fear / A gospel reset for the weary Christian / A shy guy’s guide to big groups / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • Substacks I Read and Recommend in 2026

    30 Christian Substacks I Read and Recommend in 2026

    t is a blessing to have so many dedicated and talented Christian writers who are willing to share their work with us. Many of them choose to share it through Substack, a platform for email newsletters. I follow all kinds of Substacks and thought it might be helpful to create a roundup of some of…